Affective communication facilitates the development of the accurate recognition of the social cues of others, as well as development of positive attributions, self-esteem, and perceived social support. These aspects of social and emotional functioning are of utmost importance because they are essential elements of successful social lives and emotional well-being. The absence or diminished quality of auditory stimulation in childhood impairs the development of social and emotional functioning that is acquired via affective communication. The proposed study will assess social and emotional functioning of children ages 9 to 12 who have cochlear implants. A matched group of normal hearing peers will be assessed for control purposes. We predict that age at implantation and duration of cochlear implant use will be closely associated with social and emotional functioning. Specifically, we predict that children who received cochlear implants at the youngest ages and have used them the longest time will have accurate identification of displayed emotion, positive self-esteem, and perception of social support from family, and peers. The proposed research will explore the importance of auditory perception and affective communication in the ontogenesis of social and emotional functioning.